


Muddling Through Somehow

by nargles_exist



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Confessions, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nargles_exist/pseuds/nargles_exist
Summary: Tsukishima Kei has a problem. His coworkers think he has a boyfriend and expect to meet him at the annual holiday gala. He asks his best friend to step in at the last minute, and things get... complicated.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 139
Collections: Haikyuu Secret Santa 2020





	Muddling Through Somehow

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift fic for Brandon (@jailsgrr on twitter) for the Haikyuu Secret Santa Gift Exchange. I hope you like it!

“Tsuuuuuukiiiiii!” 

Kei gritted his teeth at the chirrupy voice of one of his coworkers calling him from across the room. He had asked (politely) several times that she not call him by that nickname, but she seemed determined to annoy him. He turned away from the display he was constructing.

“Yes, Kizawa-san?” he asked, forcing politeness into his tone.

“I saw that you volunteered to help set up for the Gala next week,” she said, waving the sign-up sheet in his face. “I’m so glad that you’re getting into the spirit of the season!”

His decision had been based less on the ‘spirit of the season’ than the idea that if he helped with this relatively innocuous task, he could use it as leverage later on to get out of more objectionable things. It was a strategic maneuver, which he found himself considering more and more as he settled into his career in the museum industry. 

He liked history and science and the curation of artifacts, and museum work was very rewarding. Ideally, he’d like to work in a bigger museum, possibly a natural history museum, and work with preservation or even administration… but he had to put in his time and gain experience. 

Sendai City Museum wasn’t too bad, and it was close to home and near many of his friends and acquaintances. It was so inconvenient to have to meet new people and form a new social circle. Plus, he found himself very interested in the deep research into the past and development of his home, so the displays and collections were fascinating. Except… he had to do shifts of touring and presentations, and he dreaded those. 

The ‘Gala’ that his coworker mentioned was the Annual Holiday Fundraising Gala for the Sendai Miyagi Museum Alliance. Different museums hosted every year, and this year was the City Museum’s turn. It was a black-tie event, and all museum staff were given tickets to fill out the crowd and to talk up their particular museum if any big-wig investors should strike up a conversation. It was going to be incredibly tedious, and Kei planned to find a corner to hide in for most of the night. At least he had one ally. Yachi had recently been hired by a sister museum to do illustrations for displays, a job which she was extremely excited by, so if he had to mingle, he was planning to stick to her side and let her chatter for the both of them. 

The museum would be closed during the day of the Gala so that staff would have time to clear the atrium and set up the tables and decorate and all of the other little tasks that might be delegated to them by the planning committee. He could certainly handle that. “Just trying to be helpful,” he lied to his coworker.

“And we’re all looking forward to meeting that boyfriend of yours,” she said cheerfully, giving him a companionable nudge with her elbow. “I reserved two tickets under your name. You are bringing him, aren’t you?”

“Boyf--” began Kei, confused, but then realization dawned… and crashed and exploded. “Oh.” 

Shit. He had the most meddlesome coworkers, Kizawa-san in particular, and the first few months of his employment had been full of roundabout questions about his relationship status and subtle (or so they thought) rearranging of things so that he was always near other young, single employees or guests. All this achieved was to make him wary and increase his stamina for enduring unpleasant situations. 

Growing tired of the machinations, though, he had eventually invented a fictional boyfriend. Part of him hoped that implying he was gay would put off his coworkers and make them give him some space, but they were irritatingly supportive. He had answered questions as evasively as possible, finally announcing that he didn’t like to discuss his private life. That sort of worked. Now his ‘boyfriend’ only came up every once in a while, and he could easily avoid being pinned down on anything. Until now.

“Er…” he said, stalling and frantically trying to come up with a way out. 

“You’ve never brought him in, but Asami-chan says she saw you and a cute freckled boy having coffee. I can’t wait to see him for myself! I bet you look so sweet together!” Kizawa-san was cooing like he was a fluffy baby animal and not a fully grown man who was about to have a stroke.

Of course she was talking about Tadashi. Sendai wasn’t Tokyo, and it was inevitable that some of his coworkers ran into him outside of work. Fortunately, they had never approached and asked him point blank if Tadashi was his boyfriend, but he hadn’t bothered to deny it. He still hung out with Tadashi most often in his free time, and it was a convenient plausibility. 

“I’ll… I’ll see if he’s available,” he finally said. 

He was momentarily saved by the arrival of a tour group, which pulled Kizawa-san away and let him go back to his work. He couldn’t concentrate, though. Damn. That was why lying was bad. Even half-lies, like letting them think Tadashi was the ‘boyfriend’ he had claimed to have, were making his situation so much more complicated. 

If he came alone and said his boyfriend was sick or busy, he would be fielding questions all evening about where he was, and then this situation would come up _again_ during the next group event he was made to attend. He could say that they broke up, but then he’d have to endure _sympathy_ of all horrors, and there would be attempts to set him up for the rest of the night. Oh, god… what if they asked Yachi about his ‘boyfriend’? They knew he was friends with her, but thankfully she didn’t enter into the extended social circle until after his lie, so he was spared from any comments about how cute they would look as a couple. Still, she was far too friendly and loose with personal information, and she’d surely break under interrogation.

Angling himself away from the open doorway, he took out his phone and quickly typed out a cry for help. _I'm in a mess, and I need your help._ He tried to sum up the predicament in as few words as possible, but it still took over a whole page of text. Within a few minutes, he had a reply from Yachi.

_Just ask Tadashi to go with you._

Kei scoffed and furiously typed back. He couldn't do that! It wouldn't be fair to ask Tadashi to deal with a whole evening of his coworkers and their nosiness! That wasn't the answer he wanted from her, but she was insistent. 

_He'll do it. Just ask him._

There was no way to articulate the uneasy twist in his stomach at the thought of asking his best friend to pretend to be his boyfriend, to pretend that they were in love for a whole evening, so he gave up on Yachi. He would have to figure something else out.

*

He had not figured something else out. 

It was the day before the Gala, and he was out of time. 

Fidgeting awkwardly, Kei knocked on the door of the apartment that Tadashi shared with Yachi. His capitulation was made even worse by the knowing smile Yachi wore as she let him inside, and he glowered at her in response. 

"Tsukki!" exclaimed Tadashi, setting aside his game controller to give his friend his full attention. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Ah, well, I don't plan on staying long," said Kei, sitting gingerly on the edge of the sofa. 

"You all right?" Tadashi was looking at him with concern. 

Clearing his throat, he said, "I… I came to ask you to do me a favor."

"Sure, all right," agreed Tadashi, easily. 

Kei huffed. "I haven't even told you what it is yet!"

"Well, go on then."

"I've got this… gala tomorrow, and the people I work with… well, they expect me to bring someone," he explained. "Um… I may have told them that I have a boyfriend so that they won't try to set me up. And..." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from Tadashi. "Some of them might think it's you." 

"Huh?" Tadashi sounded confused, and for good reason. Kei wasn't doing a great job of explaining the issue. 

He sighed. "I'm asking you if you'll be my date for the museum fundraising gala tomorrow night. And to pretend that we've been dating a while so that my coworkers don't find out I've been lying to them for months." There was silence for a long moment, and Kei finally had to turn to look at Tadashi. 

His face was thoughtful and slightly incredulous. "You've been telling people I'm your boyfriend?" he asked finally. 

"No!" protested Kei. "They just saw us together and… and I didn't bother to correct them."

Tadashi watched him a moment more. "You do get yourself into trouble when left to your own devices, don't you?" One side of his mouth quirked up into a slight smile.

"Hey, I was always the one getting _you_ out of trouble, if you recall," retorted Kei.

"I guess I owe you a rescue of your own then," smirked Tadashi. "Do I have to rent a suit? Nothing like waiting til the last minute, Tsukki."

"Black tie," croaked Kei, throat suddenly dry. Relief had washed over him momentarily, but now he was back to a vague uneasy anticipation. 

They arranged to meet at the museum, since Tadashi still had to work the next day and Kei had to be there early to help finish decorating. Once they had finalized their plans, Kei quickly said his goodbyes and escaped back to his own house, his mind in a muddle. 

He was glad to have a solution to his predicament, and Tadashi was extremely reliable. He would play his part to the best of his ability, and Kei would have some breathing room to untangle himself from his lies in the future. But… he couldn’t quite figure out why he felt so nervous. He was jittery and restless, like he was about to play in a match against someone important. Shouldn’t he feel relieved? Maybe it was just lingering adrenaline from the past several days of anxiety. Perhaps it would just take him a while to calm down, for it to sink in that he wasn’t going to get caught in his lies.

Tadashi was a good person to have alongside at a party; he had grown out of a lot of his pubescent shyness, though he still wasn’t particularly outgoing. He was just more comfortable in himself, which let him relax more around people. He was still eager to please, but Kei thought that was more from a genuine spirit of kindness and empathy than a need to impress anyone. He could participate in nearly any conversation and make people feel included and interesting, and he was a valuable asset in any group of strangers. 

It was strange to think that he was the same boy who followed Kei around and quietly hid behind him, trying to disappear. Now, it was the other way around: Kei usually followed _him_ at parties, hoping people would talk to Tadashi and not target him. 

He wasn’t antisocial, exactly. He just had trouble feigning interest in topics that didn’t matter to him, and he couldn’t hide his boredom, which came off as rude. He knew proper etiquette and could follow it to the letter, but in order to preserve working relationships, he tried to avoid small talk. After all, from the few times he _had_ engaged with his coworkers on non-work subjects he had ended up in a tangle of deceit. That probably wasn’t quite fair, since he had actively made the choice to lie about his personal life. It wasn’t his coworkers’ fault that they were friendly, but there had to be a limit. It was either this, or he would be going on blind dates with everyone’s sister, brother, cousin, or friend-in law. He was too conscious of how negatively he could come across, so he overcompensated with politeness, and he couldn’t find the line between polite and doormat. 

Sighing, he made himself a cup of tea to settle his nerves and tried not to dwell on it.

The next day at work was extremely busy with preparations, so he didn’t have much time to feel nervous, but his anxiety was still annoyingly present, waiting for him to run out of distractions. He laughed half-heartedly at some of his coworkers’ comments about looking forward to meeting his boyfriend, but inside, his stomach was twisting. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in Tadashi. In fact, he was sure he’d make a perfect boyfriend. In high school, Tadashi had dated a few girls, and he had always seemed perfectly nice and solicitous and attentive. Kei had not particularly enjoyed it when Tadashi was dating, as it made things quite lonely for him, and he had been selfishly pleased every time Tadashi had broken it off with whatever girl he had been seeing. His own dating record had been sporadic and sparse, though he had quickly found out that he generally preferred boys. Even if he liked a guy and found them attractive, he found dates awkward and uncomfortable. It was difficult for him to let people get close, and neither he nor his dates were willing to push past the initial awkwardness, so his dating life had fizzled out somewhat during college. 

Maybe that was why he was so nervous about Tadashi being his date. He was putting his best friend into a position that, from experience, resulted in awkwardness and discomfort. It didn’t matter much that he had known Tadashi for most of his life and that Tadashi was one of the only people who really knew him. The whole idea of a ‘date’ was firmly fixed in his brain as a terrible time, and he didn’t want to feel horrible around Tadashi. That was probably it. He told himself firmly that just because Tadashi was officially his ‘date’, it didn’t mean he would feel miserable and inept like he did during high school. This was his museum. He was an adult, comfortable with himself and with Tadashi. He could handle a few hours of chit chat and dancing. He totally had this.

*

He absolutely did not have this.

He was standing on a ladder, draping a garland across one of the tall doorways, when Tadashi walked into the atrium. Kei nearly fell when he saw him. When was the last time he had seen Tadashi all dressed up? Tanaka’s wedding? That had been over a year ago. He forgot how much formal clothes suited his best friend. Hurrying down the ladder, he picked up his own jacket from where it was slung over a chair and made his way quickly over to Tadashi.

“You look… great,” he said, breathlessly, trying to struggle into his jacket. 

“Thanks,” said Tadashi, smiling at him. The suit, albeit rented, was well-tailored and fit Tadashi like it had been made for him. His hair had been tamed and was combed down neatly, and he looked almost excited to be attending this party. “I feel very fancy,” he commented, unwrapping his scarf and draping it over his arm with his winter coat. His cheeks, stretched wide with his grin, were still pink from the cold outside. 

“Come on, I’ll show you where you can put your coat,” said Kei. 

Tadashi held out his hand, and Kei looked at it for a second with confusion before he remembered that they were, of course, supposed to be dating. Right. He laced their fingers together, wrinkling his nose at Tadashi’s cheeky grin, and he tugged Tadashi along. Once they safely stowed Tadashi’s coat, Kei took him on a little tour.

By the time they returned to the atrium, the room was filling with gentlemen in black and ladies in vivid color, and he had gotten used to the feel of Tadashi's fingers entwined with his own. He had almost forgotten that they were holding hands until one of his coworkers pounced on them and started gushing. Kei's face was fully red while he introduced Tadashi, and while there was a pink tint to Tadashi's cheeks also, he was all smiles and cheerful conversation. A waiter came by with drinks, and the cycle continued as more and more of his coworkers and acquaintances spotted them. 

Kei found that he was almost relaxed, actually, by the time he had introduced Tadashi for the fifth time. He had been forced to relinquish Tadashi's hand when the drinks arrived, as Tadashi had always been a hand talker. He needed one hand to hold his drink and the other to wave around in emphasis. But Kei stayed close, nearly pressed against him, watching his 'boyfriend' in admiration as he charmed the whole museum staff. 

The band began playing--dreamy tunes made for swaying together on the dance floor--and the crowd began breaking up into couples. Kei and Tadashi were left alone, looking at each other awkwardly over their drinks. "Um," said Kei. "Did you want to… dance? I'm not very good at it, but we can give it a go… if you want."

Tadashi laughed and set his drink on a nearby table. "How can I refuse such a charming offer?"

They moved out into the crowd, and Kei forced his stiff arms around Tadashi, trying to ignore the fizzing feeling in his chest. He kept his face down, trying to avoid all eye contact, and of course, within the first minute of movement, he had stepped on Tadashi's foot. "Wow, you were not kidding," said Tadashi, amusement in his voice. "Let's try it again."

After a couple of starts and stops, they found a balance, and Kei relaxed under the spell of Tadashi's constant commentary on the other dancers. He found himself smiling and completely distracted from the agony of where to next place his feet. It was kind of… fun. He was enjoying himself. 

As the night wore on, the drinks kept coming, and the atmosphere changed from sedate refinement to mischievous cheer. Kei's coworkers began to make a game of trying to trick him into walking under mistletoe with Tadashi. Unfortunately for them, he had hung most of it himself and knew where not to stand. He didn't want to make Tadashi choose between kissing him and making an awkward excuse. Once he almost fell for it, but Yachi barged her way into the doorway and dragged him down into a kiss, resulting in much cheers and laughter. 

Heavily embarrassed at being the center of attention, even in a good way, he grabbed Tadashi's hand and dragged him out into the courtyard. The little outdoor garden had also been decorated, small heaters placed around the edges to keep it comfortable for guests that wanted some air. It was empty currently, the fairy lights only adding the sparsest illumination of the plants and statues. The cool night air felt nice on his hot face, and he just breathed for a moment. "Sorry about that," he said, turning to Tadashi. "And… everything."

Tadashi shrugged and leaned back against the wall. "You don't need to apologize. I'm having fun."

"Really?" asked Kei, eying him. 

"Well, yeah. I mean, how often do I get to mingle with Sendai's upper classes? Drink champagne and dance to a live band? Get my feet trodden on?" He poked an elbow into Kei's side at that last remark.

Smiling slightly, Kei said, "You've been great, honestly. The perfect boyfriend. I shouldn't have asked you, but I can't say I'm sorry you came."

"Tsukki," said Tadashi, pushing off the wall to stand in front of him. "You can ask me for anything." He smiled up into Kei's face. "Though, I do admit that this was a wild favor."

"Oh shush," said Kei, but he couldn't hold back a grin. 

"You just have the worst luck I've ever seen."

"I've got you, don't I? That seems like pretty good luck to me."

There were little pinpricks of light in Tadashi's eyes, reflections of the fairy lights strung around the courtyard. Even in the dimness, Kei could see the constellations of freckles across his cheeks, and while it had been pressed flat at the beginning of the evening, his cowlick had worked its way free. Kei reached to smooth it back down, fingers lingering against the back of Tadashi's neck. He could see Tadashi's gaze flick upwards, and he looked to see what had caught his attention. 

"Mistletoe," whispered Tadashi. "They caught you after all." His eyes were wide and serious, no hint of the earlier laughter present. 

"Yeah," said Kei, wetting his suddenly dry lips. For a moment, he just looked at Tadashi, waiting for something to snap him back into reality, to break this spell that was holding them both captive. It should feel wrong, to be looking at Tadashi's mouth and thinking about what it would feel like against his, to be thinking about pulling his best friend close and feeling the warmth of his body. They had never been in a situation like this, and despite the fact that he had just been kissed by Yachi, this was not remotely the same. 

He reached up, hand shaking, and stroked his fingers along the smooth planes of Tadashi's jaw. Leaning in, he hesitated a moment, feeling Tadashi's breath against his face, smelling the chocolate cake they had eaten earlier. Then they were kissing. Kei was kissing his best friend, and it felt… perfect. He had not kissed many people, not really kissed, but like with the dancing, he fell into a rhythm, letting Tadashi lead him. 

A clatter of footsteps approaching jolted them apart, and for a split second, Kei's eyes met Tadashi's. They were bright and held an expression he couldn't place; it almost looked like he was about to cry. But then he turned, laughing awkwardly, and slipped out of Kei's embrace to mingle and chatter with the other party guests. 

Kei stood frozen for a moment, his mind unable to catch up to recent events. Had he really just kissed Tadashi? No, he and Tadashi had kissed. It had felt right and natural, and it had definitely been mutual. And there had been no one around to see, so it wasn't part of the fake boyfriend act. He needed time to process all of this, but he was still in the middle of a party, so he moved woodenly after Tadashi, pretending to listen to the gossip and chatter. 

The rest of the night was a haze, as he pretended to be okay, that his world had not just been shaken by a stolen moment in the courtyard. He and Tadashi didn't have another moment alone, so they weren't able to talk about it, and Kei followed Tadashi's cue in pretending nothing had happened. Even as he drove Tadashi home after the party, he gave Yachi a ride as well, so they had no privacy to discuss matters. Perhaps that was for the best because Kei's head was spinning, and he had no idea how to even bring it up. 

He waited, the next day, for Tadashi to text him, to give him a clue as to how he should proceed, but there was nothing. His sparse texts to Tadashi had not been answered, and he wondered if that, itself, was the clue. Perhaps Tadashi didn't want to talk to him. Had he gone too far? It had been because of him that Tadashi was even there, pretending to be his boyfriend. He hadn't meant to make it real, to take something that Tadashi hadn't offered. And he couldn't help but worry that that was what happened. He remembered the look on his face after they had kissed, like he was going to cry. 

Had he done irreparable harm to their relationship with that kiss? 

*

He was in a spiral of worry and self doubt over the next few days, and he almost didn't show up to his standing lunch date with Yachi that week. She took one look at him and sighed. 

"You two idiots are going to kill me," she said, hopping up onto the high seat at their table in the cafe. 

"Tadashi's avoiding me," muttered Kei.

"Yeah, I know. He's moping, you're moping. And I'm in the middle." She rolled her eyes. 

"What happened to you?" asked Kei. "You used to be nicer."

She stuck her tongue out at him. After they had ordered and received their food, she asked him, "So what's the problem then?"

"Well," he said, pushing his food around his plate. "We, er… we kissed. There was mistletoe and fairy lights and..." He shrugged. "I dunno. It just felt right. To me, at least." He frowned down at his plate. "But Tadashi won't reply to my texts, so I'm guessing it didn't feel right to him." Sighing, he looked up at Yachi. "I think… I might have ruined things."

Her expression was pitying. "I can't speak for him, but I'm guessing it was just a bit of a shock. You've been friends for ages, and I think it would take more than a kiss to ruin that."

"I don't know what to do now, Yacchan," he confessed. 

"How did you feel about kissing him?" she asked. "You looked pretty happy when you were dancing together."

"I… liked it," he said, feeling himself flush. "I've never had a kiss as good as that, or a better time on a date, even if it was mostly pretend. It… I didn't have..." He sighed. "It was just easy, with him. We were pretending, but I didn't even have to try."

Yachi watched him, her cheek propped up in her palm. "You weren't pretending while you kissed?"

He shook his head. "No. I wanted to kiss him. And I _thought_ he wanted it, too, but… he won't talk to me. And the look on his face afterward..." He trailed off with another sigh. 

"I think this will help," said Yachi, pulling out her phone. She opened her photos and passed the phone over to Kei. On the screen was a picture of him dancing with Tadashi, holding each other close and smiling. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. 

"You two need to talk," she said softly, watching him. 

"He won't answer me," objected Kei. "I've tried..."

"Oh, come on," said Yachi, raising an eyebrow. "You're a clever man. Think of something else!"

She was right, he decided as he headed back to work. He could find a way to get Tadashi to talk. He didn't want to lose Tadashi, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to kiss him again. 

*

That night, his secret weapon safe in his pocket, he made his way up the stairs to Tadashi and Yachi's apartment. He sent Yachi a quick text telling her _not_ to answer the door under any circumstances, waited a moment, and then rang the bell. 

"Tadashiiii," he heard from within. "Can you get the door?"

"Why can't you??"

"Um… Bathroom emergency!"

Kei laughed to himself as he heard footsteps approaching. Nervousness fluttered through his veins, but he made himself stand firm and steady as Tadashi opened the door.

"Tsukki? What are you--?"

"Mistletoe," blurted Kei. And sure enough, Tadashi's gaze flicked up to where Kei held a sprig above their heads. "When you wouldn't answer my texts, I figured this was the only way I would get you to kiss me again."

"I… you want to do it again?" asked Tadashi. 

Swallowing hard against a lump of his anxiety, Kei said, "Yes. I do."

Tadashi pulled him inside and shut the door, standing in front of him uncertainly. "I thought you'd regret it. That you just got… swept up in everything."

"I think I did get swept up," admitted Kei. "But that doesn't mean it's not what I want. I liked having you as my boyfriend, Tadashi."

Tadashi flushed and looked away. "It's just… hard for me to trust it. I mean, we're just friends for years with no hint of anything else and then after one night of dancing, you want to--what? Be my boyfriend? It feels very sudden."

Kei frowned and took a deep breath. "Actually, I think it's been a long time coming. I think I could never let any other guy get close to me because I was expecting them to make me feel the way I feel with you, and they never did. I think I've been trying to keep myself from wanting you, wanting more with you."

"Really?" Tadashi's eyes were wide with surprise. And something that looked like hope. 

"Yeah, I… didn't think you were available. I know you're bi, but… you always dated girls, so I thought it was like, a theoretical bi," he said. At Tadashi's raised eyebrows, he added, "You know, like mostly interested in girls but open to the idea of a guy if you could ever find the perfect one."

"I did find the perfect one," said Tadashi, his smile a little bit sad. "But you never seemed to look at me, so I didn't think I had a chance with you. Only dating girls was a bit easier, because it was harder to pretend they were you." 

"Oh my god," groaned Kei. "With you only looking at girls, I never considered you an option. I told myself that you weren't and wouldn't let myself think otherwise. And well… you know how bad at dating I was." He shifted a little uncomfortably at the memories. "I was an arrogant teenage asshole and didn't know how to stop pushing people away, especially guys I dated, and, I think, I didn't want to see you as someone who could be pushed away."

"Tsukki… Kei..." Tadashi touched his arm gently. "You can't push me away."

"I did! I have," protested Kei. "You've been avoiding me for days, and you wouldn't be talking to me at all if I didn't ambush you like this."

"That's not you," said Tadashi, looking down and avoiding Kei's gaze. "I just… needed some time to think. I… It started as a fun joke, me going as your 'boyfriend' to your fancy dress ball, and I thought 'of course I can do it'. We're friends, and it won't be weird to touch your shoulder or hold your hand, right? But then..." He blew out a long breath. "We kissed, and I couldn't pretend anymore. Like, I had a taste of how it could be if it were real, and I..." He trailed off, finally looking up at Kei. "I wanted it to be real. I didn't want to go back to the way things were before, and I didn't think I could stand it if you told me you were sorry it happened."

"I'm not," said Kei. "I would have said I was, if that was what you wanted, but I'm not sorry. I felt more at ease with you than any other date I've ever had, and kissing you felt like… like I'd been waiting my whole life for that moment."

"Kei, stop," protested Tadashi, putting his palm over his eyes. "I can't have a logical discussion if you're going to say romantic things like that."

Huffing out a laugh, Kei said, "It's just the truth."

With his eyes still covered, Tadashi hesitated a moment and then said: "I think the question is: what do you want to do now?"

Kei gently peeled Tadashi's hand away from his face and returned the mistletoe to its place above their heads. He waited until Tadashi's eyes focused on his face, and then he dipped forward, pressing a kiss to Tadashi's mouth.

The kiss was soft, gentle. It was a kiss of promise and hope.

Tadashi smiled as he pulled away. "That's a good start."

"I said this before, about my dancing, but it applies here, too." Kei tried to keep his voice steady and speak over the frantic pounding of his heart. "I'm not much good at this--don't have much practice--but we could give it a go… if you want."

Smile widening, Tadashi looped his arms around Kei's neck. "We managed the dancing all right, didn't we?"

"Aside from your poor feet," Kei pointed out. "Hearts are more fragile than feet."

"True." Leaning in, Tadashi kissed him softly. "But I believe in us. I've been waiting for you for years," he murmured, tucking a wave of Kei's hair behind his ear. "And I don't want to let you go."

"God, we've only just agreed to date, and we're already unbearably soppy." But Kei couldn't contain his beaming happiness. "We're going to be insufferable to everyone around us."

Tadashi's grin was a mirror of his own. "I can't wait."

From down the hallway, Yachi yelled, “Can I come out of the bathroom now??”


End file.
